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EDITORIAL
HDNdigest 5
With this 5th issue of HDNdigest, on the eve of Thanksgiving, we offer you to see, read, listen, but also to meditate:
– Some major texts by Dr. Louis-Joseph Janvier (1855-1911), eminent Haitian writer and patriot, under the heading “Spotlight”, notably his Haïti aux Haïtiens (1884), to which Liverpool University Press has just made available free the English translation by Nadève Ménard accompanying a critical volume, Haiti for the Haitians by Louis-Joseph Janvier, edited by Brandon R. Byrd and Chelsea Stieber (2023).
– Under the heading, “Development Initiatives”, the portraits of two young American high school students, respectively of African and Asian origin, Heman Bekele and Vivien He who, thanks to their ingenuity and tenacity, one invented a soap against cancer of the skin, the other a “cube” to detect possible earthquakes. It is also an opportunity for Asselin Charles to offer a brief reflection on the role of education in the development of a nation, and to propose some avenues for change in the Haitian curriculum. A dialogue to continue.
– Under the headings, “Resources” and “Opportunities”: two important entries on health and employment. On these two determining factors for a successful life, we refer you mainly to the sites of NewYork-Presbyterian and Academic without Borders.
In short, HDNdigest 5, as well as our previous issues, aims to be a mine of information to enrich minds and wallets.
Once again thank you for your support and suggestions…
Happy Thanksgiving,
The co-editors of HDNdigestAsselin Charles and Jean Jonassaint @ digest@hdn.org
TARGET READERSHIP
The HDNdigest is a publication of Haitian Development Network designed for a composite readership consisting of people interested in, and supporting of, the economic, social, and cultural progress of Haiti and in the advancement of Haitians and Haitian descendants, both in Haiti and abroad.
OBJECTIVES
In addition to promoting Haiti, Haitians, their descendants, and communities, HDNdigest has three sets of objectives:
- To inform its readers, especially members and supporters of Haitian Development Network, about the organization’s activities, which include recent achievements, ongoing projects, and planned initiatives;
- To inspire and motivate its readers to support development initiatives for Haiti and Haitian communities;
- To suggest promising pathways for Haiti, Haitians, and Haitian descendants in such key areas as communication, community building, economy and finance, education, energy, entrepreneurship, food production, health, housing, transportation, etc.
LANGUAGES
Materials included in this publication are in English, French, Haitian Kreyòl or Spanish. Whenever possible we will provide French and English versions of editors’ texts that are more than two paragraphs long. Machine translation of various writings is available by simply clicking on the desired target language (French, English, or Spanish) — the current technical conditions do not allow us to provide automatic translations in the Haitian language.
CONTRIBUTORS
Two co-editors, Asselin Charles and Jean Jonassaint, assume oversight of the content and form of the materials published in this biweekly. They may also contribute short essays or information pieces. Other materials included in the publication are contributed by volunteer collaborators or taken, with requisite attribution, from open sources on the web or in the public domain.
FREQUENCY OF PUBLICATION
The HDNdigest is an online bimonthly published every first and third Thursday of the month from February to November; on the first Thursday of December; and on the third Thursday of January.
DISTRIBUTION
The HDNdigest will be delivered free of charge directly to subscribers’ emails. In addition @ hdn.org/digest-2, readers can access the publication directly online or download it onto their device to be read, listened to, or printed.
Contents of This Issue:
HAITIAN MEDIA
For Haitian news, some Haitian media accessible online:
SPOTLIGHT ON
This is a piece that spotlights an individual (Haitian preferably but from any national or ethnic origin) or an institution (Haitian or non-Haitian) that has accomplished something worthy of admiration or emulation for the benefit of our collectivities.
Alternatively, instead of a short essay on an exemplary individual or institution this section may offer a short Q & A interview of said individual or representative of said institution.
Following the recent posting online of an important volume from Liverpool University Press, Haiti for the Haitians by Louis-Joseph Janvier (2023) edited by Brandon R. Byrd and Chelsea Stieber, we take advantage of the opportunity to present this 19th century Haitian essayist who first looked at our constitutional laws with Les Constitutions d’Haïti (1801-1885), to a large global audience.
DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES
This section offers readers documents (articles, books, videos, films, webinars, podcasts, etc.) from various web publications in English, French, Haitian Kreyòl or Spanish, that highlight inspiring actions and initiatives from all over the world in the fields of education, economy and finance, food production (agriculture), infrastructure, communications, science, housing, entrepreneurship, community building, etc.
For each piece a headline is provided over either a short summary or the lead paragraph, followed by the link to the original source of the document on the web.
Today, in this section, we are highlighting two inspiring stories. The first is about Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old Ethiopian-American middle school student who has invented a skin cancer fighting soap and was named “America’s top young scientist.” The second story is about Vivien He, a California junior high school student who has invented a cheap earthquake warning device, a gadget that can save lives in earthquake prone parts of the world.
OPPORTUNITIES
HigherEdJobs | Academics Without Borders
RESOURCES
This is a directory of resources for readers seeking information and useful contacts to achieve success in various occupational endeavors.
Three health topics concerning our everyday life, presented by doctors of “NewYork-Presbyterian”
HDNdigest Archives
LES BONNES PAGES
A first Creole Bonne Page: Michel-Rolph Trouillot’s Ti difé boulé sou istoua Ayiti
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Activities and productions worthy of attention: publications, exhibitions, shows, conferences, etc.
Valorisation des répertoires musicaux classiques afro-diasporiques (Promotion of classical Afro-diasporic musical repertoires)
Journées d’étude on September 29 and 30, 2021 at the University of Montreal and UQAM]
Bonne lecture!
If you have any comments or suggestions, do not hesitate to write to us. In advance, thank you very much.